Thursday, August 1

Got fresh blueberries? Eat some now and freeze some for later. Come winter you'll be really glad you did. And it's so easy to freeze blueberries. (Want to stock up on berries? Find locally grown bounty at LocalHarvest.org or PickYourOwn.org.)

Some people spread their blueberries out on a baking sheet and let them freeze solid before packing them into bags, like you do with raspberries and strawberries and blackberries to keep them from turning into a giant frozen clump.

But I've found that if you simply fill up a zipper freezer bag or plastic freezer container with blueberries and toss it in the freezer, the berries will freeze individually, allowing you to scoop them out a cup or two at a time (they're great in smoothies).

These scrumptious Blueberry Bonanza Breakfast Bars are my favorite way to celebrate blueberry season. They can be made with either fresh or frozen blueberries, and they don't have to be eaten for breakfast. I originally wrote about them back in 2006, and they've been one of my most popular recipes ever since.

Don't let the three separate layers scare you away; they come together quickly and you only need to dirty up two mixing bowls. They also freeze beautifully. With the oatmeal crust and streusel topping, these bars remind me of an eat-with-your-hands cross between blueberry pie and blueberry crisp.

If you only have a small blueberry haul (maybe because you ate half of them in the car on the way home), you could try the Just Peachy version or the Apple Blueberry version, which call for just two cups of blueberries each. Or use your imagination and what you have on hand; Farmgirl Fare readers have reported delicious success making these bars with blackberries, frozen cranberries, stewed apricots, and raspberries. Enjoy!

3 comments:

Hi Remembrances,My apologies for the delayed reply. When I buy gallon bags of blueberries from a local grower, they're already washed, so I just transfer them into a new dry zipper freezer bag and freeze them, and they come out fine. If a few berries do clump together, it's easy to break them apart.

I've read, though, that some people say it's better to freeze unwashed blueberries, as freezing toughens the skin, though I haven't noticed this happening. I've had some unpleasant experiences trying to defrost other types frozen berries before using (think the most watery blackberry pie ever), so I always wash them first and use them frozen. :)

December 2015 update: Hi! For some reason I can't figure out, Blogger hasn't been letting me leave comments on my own blog (!) for the last several months, so I've been unable to respond to your comments and questions. My apologies for any inconvenience! You're always welcome to email me: farmgirlfare AT gmail DOT com.

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